Culverts   ? 


*otect5 

' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


CULVER'S  PATENT 


—FOR- 


PROTECTING   WOOD 


F  R  O  M— 


ALSO,   AN   ILLUSTRATED   TREATISE   ON   THE 
APPEARANCE  AND  HABITS  OF  THE 

TEREDO  AND  WOOD  BORING  SHRIMP 


SAN    FRAVCIS 
TAYLOR  &  NEVIK,  EXGRAVEKS  AND  PRINTERS,  534  .COMMERCIAL  STREET, 
BEXWEKX  MUXTGOMKRY  AND  SANSOME. 
1877. 


CULVER'S  PATENT  COMPOSITION 

FOE  THE 

PROTECTION  OF  PILING,  WHARVES,  PIERS,  DOCKS, 
AND  SUBMERGED  TIMBER  IN  SALT  WATER. 


This  invention  is  designed  to  prevent  the  destructive  work 

of  the  Teredo  Navalis  or  Ship- worm,  and  Limnoria  Terebrans 

;     or  Wood-boring  Shrimp,  also  called  the  Grebble.     The  process 

"-'    has  been  tried  long  enough  to  prove  that  it  is  entirely  effective 

r   to  prevent  the  ravages  of  these  pests.     The  process  consists  in 

I    treating  the  piles  with  the  bark  on  or  off,  as  follows  :  First  there 

Ij    is  a  poisonous  composition  brushed  over  the  surface  of  the  pile 

^    or  timber,  which  is  allowed  to  dry  ;  then  the  pile  or  timber  is 

J    coated  with  asphaltum,  laid  on  at  great  heat  to  the  bare  wood, 

after  which  burr  laps  treated  in  asphaltum  are  wound  around  in 

spiral  courses  while  warm,  and  finished  by  a  final  coating  of 

hot  asphalt.     The  piles  can  be  handled,  transported,  and  driven, 

with  reasonable  care,  without  injury  to  the  coating,  and  after 

being  driven  are  most  fully  protected. 

Contracts  will  be  taken  for  protecting  piles  at  the  rate  of 
$3.50  each  pile  and  timber  work,  for  bulkheads,  tide  gates,  cribs, 
etc.,  in  proportion.  Piles  protected  by  this  process  are  in  use 
at  the  Battery-street  wharf,  San  Francisco,  where  the  Teredo 
and  Timber-boring  Shrimp  had  previously  completely  eaten  off 
many  of  the  piles  treated  with  antiseptics  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months.  The  protected  piles  by  my  process  are  as  good  as  when 
driven.  The  process  of  protection  commends  itself  to  all 
practical  minds.  It  forms  a  cheap,  durable  and  effective  sheath 
or  covering,  through  which  the  worms  cannot  penetrate. 

The  pile  is  first  covered  with  the  poisonous  composition 
from  A  to  A ;  then  with  hot  asphaltum  from  A  to  A ;  then  wound 

291134 


SEA    WORM    AND    LIMNORIA. 


with  spiral  courses  of  treated  bagging  from  A  to  A  ;  then  given 
a  final  coat  of  asphaltum  from  A  to  A — finishing  ready  to  drive. 


SEA    WORM    AND    LIMNORIA. 


The  cloth  or  fibrous  material  being  thoroughly  saturated 
with  hot  asplialt  and  protected  will  not  decay,  and  forms  at  the 
same  time  a  cheap  non-corrosive,  indestructible,  elastic  covering, 
closely  adherent  and  bonded  to  the  wood  or  bark  on  the  outside 
of  the  pile,  and  held  there  by  the  spiral-wound  fibrous  bagging. 
Various  devices  have  been  put  in  use  to  prevent  the  destructive 
work  of  these  animals,  but  none  of  them  have  been  sufficiently 
sure,  practical  and  cheap  enough  to  warrant  long  continuance. 
Cooking  or  boiling  wood  in  creosote  oil  has  been  tried  to  some 
extent,  but  the  great  cost  of  sufch  treatment  and  the  bulky  and 
immovable  treating-apparatus  or  factory  has  not  been  found 
applicable 'to  the  treatment  of  piles. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  boiler  necessary  in  such  treat- 
ment would  have  to  be  long  enongh  to  accommodate  the  longest 
piles  used,  which  in  the  majority  of  cases  approximate  sixty  feet 
in  length,  it  can  readily  be  observed  what  cumbersome 
appliances  are  required  to  carry  on  this  process,  and  why  the 
cost  should  be  so  great  and  the  treatment  fall  into  disuse. 

It  is  evident,  on  the  contrary,  how  easily  piles  and  sub- 
merged timber  can  be  protected  by  the  covering  process  in  this 
invention,  quickly,  cheaply,  and  at  few  hours'  notice,  as  the 
apparatus  simply  consists  of  a  movable  asphaltum  boiler  not  to 
exceed  fifty  gallons  capacity  operated  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  work,  only  requiring  a  few  minutes  to  cover  and  fully 
protect  each  pile  ready  to  be  immediately  driven. 

Two  destructive  elements  have  to  be  considered  in  protect- 
ing piles  in  salt  water  :  First,  the  Teredo  and  Boring  Shrimp 
below  the  tide  lines ;  second,  the  natural  decay  of  the  wood 
above  the  tide  lines.  By  protecting  the  pile  below  the  tide  lines 
with  the  patent  covering,  or  shell,  the  work  of  the  worm  and 
shrimp  is  effectually  stayed.  By  the  covering  extending  up  nearly 
to  the  capping  and  forming  a  perfect  fitting  artificial  bark  to 
the  pile,  keeps  the  pile  moist  enough  by  the  capillary  attraction 
from  the  salt  water  to  prevent  decay  between  "wind  and 
water."  Prevent  the  worms  and  boring  animals  from  working 
under  the  water  and  getting  a  foot-hold,  and  food  from  the 
wood,  as  they  eat  the  piles  completely  off,  and  that  portion 
above  even  without  protection,  every  'practical  person  at  all 
familiar  with  the  subject  will  admit  is  generally  good  for 
from  twenty  to  forty  years.  Countless  myriads  of  these  worms 
and  animals  swarm  around  the  timber  work,  and  pursue  their 
silent  destruction,  unseen  and  beyond  reach,  until  by  some 


SEA   WORM    AND   LIMNORIA. 


dropping  down  of  a  section  of  a  wharf  or  pier,  here  or  there, 
we  are  apprised  that  there  is  no  immunity  to  be  enjoyed  from 
them  unless  the  piling  is  previously  protected  before  driving. 
Could  the  damage  done  each  year  by  these  pests  be  estimated, 
it  would  be  startling.  It  is  calculated  that  an  average  pile 
driven  and  ready  for  capping  is  worth  $6,  which  is  a  low 
estimate.  Now,  it  has  been  found  in  San  Francisco  that  in 
some  places  piles  have  been  completely  eaten  off,  affording  no 
support  for  the  beams  and  planking,  in  the  course  of  eighteen 
months.  Suppose  they  were  protected  so  as  to  last  many  years 
for  so  small  an  amount  as  $3.50  each,  the  saving  is  evident 
and  requires  no  calculation  ;  it  is  self-evident. 

Where  docks  and  wharves  have  to  be  constantly  over- 
hauled and  torn  up  to  replace  worm-eaten  piles,  it  is  not  the 
pile  alone  that  has  to  be  renewed  so  much  as  the  expense  of 
replanking,  loss  of  wharfage  during  repairs,  etc. 

LIMNORIA    TEREBRANS. 

These  little  animals  inhabit  salt  water  and  are  a  genius  of 
Crustacea  of  the  Isopoda  order.  There  are  said  by  some  natu- 
ralists to  be  but  this  one  known  species,  while  others  are  divided 
as  to  its  relationship  with  other  wood-eating  animals. 

The  Limnoria  is  about  two  lines  in  length  (a  sixth  of  an 
inch,  or  about  the  size  of  a  grain  of  rice),  of  a  dark  ash-gray  color. 
The  eyes  are  black,  which  are  composed  of  numerous  oscelli 
placed  close  together.  The  front  outline  of  the  body  is  a  long 
oval,  though  the  head  is  large,  round,  and  strongly  denned. 
The  general  appearance  is  not  unlike  that  of  a  wood  louse. 
When  disturbed  or  handled  they  roll  themselves/up  similar  to  a 
hedgehog,  apparently  to  shield  the  lower  or  under  portion  of 
the  body,  and  present  as  a  shield  the  shell  or  crust  of  the  back, 
or,  like  the  turtle,  shield  the  limbs  and  head  under  its  shell. 
These  little  creatures  are  wonderfully  destructive  to  submerged 
timber-work,  such  as  piles,  docks,  piers,  bulkheads,  etc.  In 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  they  eat  piles  entirely  off  in  a  short 
time.  The  contents  of  the  stomach  consists  of  comminuted 
wood,  from  which  it  is  explained  that  they  eat  the  wood,  and  that 
food  is  the  object  sought.  They  attack  a  pile  about  half  tide. 
Kyanising  of  wood  has  been  resorted  to  as  a  protection.,  .but  in 
the  above  bay  both  the  Teredo  and  Limnoria  were  not  prevented 
from  working  in  piles  so  treated.  The  treatment  with  the 


SEA   WORM    AND    LIMNORIA. 


antisceptic  could  be  discovered  at  least  two  inches  in  thickness 
below  the  surface  of  the  piles.  The  Limnoria  were  working 
upon  the  surface  in  some  places  entirely  through  the  kyanised 
shell  of  two  inches,  and  the  Teredo  tunneling  as  apparently 
unconcerned  as  in  untreated  timber. 

The  Limnoria  swarm  around  the  timber  attacked  in  great 
numbers.  They  excavate  little  cells  along  the  annual  rings  of 
growth,  and  while  eating  the  wood  for  its  albumen,  as  is 
presumed,  make  a  sheltering  place  for  protection  from  their 
enemies  and  in  which  to  breed  and  live.  The  outside  appear- 
ance of  the  wood  has  a  spongey  look,  and,  when  subjected  to  the 


Appearance  of  a  pile  *Y  eaten  off  by  Limnoria. 


microscope  presents  the  appearance  of  being  so  fi-ail  as  to  drop 
apart  in  handling.  A  mass  of  these  perforations  as  large  as  a 
base-ball  taken  into  the  hand  and  the  water  squeezed  out, 
leave  a  mere  pulp  of  woody  fibre,  many  times  reduced  from  the 
original  bulk. 

ENLARGED    LIMNORIA. 

Timber-boring  Shrimp  or  GREBBLE.    (Large  as  a  grain  of  Bice,) 


(ENLARGED   SEVEN    TIMES.) 


If  any  knots  are  met  with  at  the  point  where  they  make 
their  attacks  on  timber  or  piles,  they  are  left  unmolested,  standing 
out  in  bold  contrast  to  the  general  eating  away  of  other  portions. 


SEA   WORM    AND    LIMNORIA. 


KNOTS  LEFT  BY  LIMNOEIA. 


"Whether  it  is  because  the  knots  are  so  much  harder  than 
the  other  portions  of  the  wood,  and  consequently  not  molested, 
is  questionable.  The  knots  are  picked  as  clean  of  the  woody 
portion  as  a  bone  of-  meat.  It  is  concluded  that  the  reason  for 
this  is  not  by  any  inability  on  the  part  of  this  little  creature  to 
destroy  every  part,  if  disposed  to  do  so,  but  from  the  fact  that 
the  knots  do  not  contain  the  food  necessary  to  pay  for  the  labor 
of  working  up.  It  may  be  likened  to  the  squirrel  eating  away 
every  kernel  of  corn  and  leaving  the  cob. 

This  view  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  hardest  woods 
do  not  enjoy  any  greater  immunity  from  their  attacks  than  the 
softer  species.  They  attack  bitter  as  well  as  sweet  woods. 
They  cover  a  large  geographical  range,  and  work  in  salt  water 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  cause  great  alarm  to  those  entrusted 
with  the  care  and  maintenance  of  docks,  wharves,  piers,  bulk- 
heads, tide-gates  and  every  species  of  timber  work  open  to 
their  ravages.  On  the  continent  of  Europe  their  work  is 
equally  destructive.  The  docks  and  piers  of  Southampton, 
England,  have  suffered  greatly  from  them.  Stephenson,  the  Eng- 
lish Engineer,  in  his  operations  connected  with  the  building  of 
the  famous  Bell  Rock  Light-house,  found  them  vexatiously  trou- 
blesome. On  the  Pacific  Coast  they  seem  to  thrive.  At  San 
Francisco  they  are  probably  as  destructive,  if  not  more  so,  than 
elsewhere.  They  have  existed  here  in  lesser  numbers  for  years, 
but  are  now  observed  to  be  increasing  so  rapidly  as  to  cause 
anxiety.  They  commenced  to  be  particularly  destructive  at  the 
Battery-street  Wharf,  which  is  near  the  present  terminal  dock 
system  toward  the  sea.  From  this  point  they  have  rapidly 
spread  in  the  harbor  toward  the  wharves,  having  reached 
Vallejo-street  pier,  some  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  inward  toward 
the  main  dock  system,  thus  threatening  the  entire  dock  front. 
Their  work  in  destroying  piles  can  be  reckoned  at  many  thou- 
sands of  dollars  yearly;  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  Teredo 


SEA   WORM   AND   LIMNORIA. 


and  Limnoria  combined  do  from  $50,000  to  $100,000  damage 
yearly  in  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  alone. 

TEREDO  NAVALIS  or  SHIP  WORM. 


SEA   WORM   AND   LIMNORIA. 


Appearance  of   a  section  of  pile  sawed  in  two,   eaten   by  Ship 
Worm. 


These  animals  have  been  much  studied,  aud  many  theories 
are  advanced  concerning  them — their  origin,  development  and 
habits.  It  must  be  confessed  the  subject  is  somewhat  difficult 
on  account  of  the  creatures'  home  being  confined  in  a  tunnel  cut 
out  of  the  solid  wood.  The  first  part  of  their  existence  they 
have  eyes,  ears  and  fins,  and  live  in  the  sea.  Their  bodies  are 
very  small  during  this  state.  In  a  very  brief  space,  however, 
they  enter  the  wood,  when  a  complete  metamorphosis  takes 
place,  in  which  they  have  no  eyes,  ears,  fins  or  legs.  Their  first 
appearance  in  the  wood  cannot  be  discovered  by  the  eye,  or 
even  by  the  use  of  a  magnifying  glass  for  that  matter,  so  small 
is  the  embryo.  It  is  not  until  the  lapse  of  a  little  time  that  the 
creature  can  be  seen.  A  stick  of  timber  examined,  for  instance, 
on  the  first  of  June,  with  the  greatest  of  care,  did  not  under 
the  glass  show  the  least  visible  opening  upon  the  surface,  nor 
after  thin  layers  of  the  wood  had  been  taken  off  could  there  be 
discovered  the  least  sign  of  attack.  The  same  stick  of  wood 
being  submerged  until  the  8th  of  June  following,  and  again 
closely  examined,  showed  no  outward  appearance  of  having  been 
entered  by  the  worm,  but  upon  again  taking  off  a  shaving  a 
twentieth  of  an  inch  in  thickness  disclosed  the  commencement 
of  very  small  openings,  following  which  only  an  eighth  of  an 
inch  a  white  semi-opaque  mass  was  reached.  This  was  very 
tenderly  placed  at  the  focus  of  a  microscope,  and  lo  !  a  perfect 
Teredo  appears.  After  begining  to  bore  they  develop  so  rapidly 
that  they  increase  in  diameter  and  length  equal  to  the  progress 
made  ahead,  until  fully  developed.  They  grow  from  four  to 
eight  inches  in  length  and  are  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter. 


I  (/ 


SEA   WORM   AND   LIMNORIA. 


The  head  is  encased  in  a  rim  or  hood  of  pearl  of  great 
hardness.  It  is  provided  with  one  hinge  on  top.  On  each  side 
of  the  forehead  is  a  small  triangular-shaped  area  resembling  the 
outer  shell  of  a  scallop,  only  that  one  side  of  the  twenty-two 
raised  cutting  edges  are  very  sharp.  The  same  formation  occurs 
except  that  cross  groves  intersect  on  each  side  of  the  head 
running  back  from  the  face  of  the  jaws  in  seventeen  raised 
cutting  edges,  intersecting  on  a  diagonal  line  with  the  first 
cutters.  These  shell  cutting  edges  and  the  pearl  head-covering 
have  the  appearance  of  wonderful  fineness  and  adaptation  for 
the  purpose  made  use  of.  The  head  in  boring  must  be  moved 
with  a  rolling,  rasping  motion,  bringing  these  fine  but  terribly 
destructive  cutters  into  play.  The  edge  of  each  distinct  cutter 
is  like  a  syckle,  and  so  hard  that  brass  can  be  scratched  with 
them  without  turning  their  edges.  The  general  appearance  of 
the  head  may  be  likened  to  a  hinged  bivalve  auger.  It  may  be 
supposed  that  the  oval-shaped  object  directly  in  the  centre  of 
the  mouth  is  a  valve  and  a  mouth  combined,  suction  being  the 
means  of  bringing  the  cutters  up  to  and  holding  them  firmly  to 
the  wood.  Such  theory  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  speci- 
mens taken  from  the  wood  showed  a  portion  of  the  woody  fibre 
detached  and  lying  outside  of  this  valve  in  the  forepart  of  the 
mouth,  looking  as  though  when  sufficient  wood  became  detached 
by  the  cutters,  the  valve  was  loosened  and  the  accumulated  food 
eaten.  An  air  passage  runs  the  entire  length  of  the  body,  just 
above  the  intestinal  canal,  in  the  position  that  a  backbone 
would  naturully  occupy  in  an  eel's  body.  About  one-third  of  the 
length  of  the  body  from  the  tail  is  an  enlarged  air-chamber.  Each 
side  of  the  tail  are  two  curious  projections  that  resemble  mini- 
ature quill  feathers.  The  resemblance  is  so  striking  that  they 
would  readily  be  mistaken  for  feathers.  These  are  the  gills  or 
breathing  apparatus  to  admit  or  exclude  air  and  water  to  the 
creature  as  desired,  and  is  also  an  air  brake  to  take  hold  by 
creating  a  vacuum  inside  of  the  valve,  or,  by  letting  go,  bring 
the  air  to  a  status.  The  quills  of  these  two  feathery  appendages 
enter  the  body  by  terminating  in  two  delicate  tubes,  which 
intersect  each  other  shortly  after  entering  the  body,  connecting 
with  the  air  passage.  Each  gill  is  about  one-fourth  of  the  total 
length  of  the  body  over  all.  The  sack  of  the  stomach  is  filled 
its  entire  length  with  comminuted  wood,  which  is  the  food  of 
this  animal.  That  near  the  head  closely  resembled  brown  sugar, 
*  changing  in  color  near  the  void  to  a  darker  brown.  The  intes- 

" 


10  SEA    WORM   ARD   LIMNORIA. 

tinal  canal  has  a  lining  of  calcareous  matter  adherent  to  the 
food,  which  is  likely  afterwards  deposited  as  a  sheathing,  as 
found  adhering  to  the  interior  surface  of  their  tunnels.  No 
species  of  wood  has  as  yet  been  found,  bitter  or  sweet,  that  they 
would  not  attack,  except  possibly  the  cabbage  tree.  They  bore 
lengthwise  of  the  grain  of  the  wood,  following  the  rings  of  annual 
growth.  As  they  progress  in  their  lonely  and  dark  passages,  they 
scrupulously  respect  their  neighbors'  habitations,  never  break- 
ing through  the  oftentimes  almost  membraneous  film  of  wood 
leading  to  the  tenement  of  their  neighbor.  As  long  as  any 
wood  remains  to  be  eaten  between  the  stages  of  water  where 
they  work,  which  is  usually  between  low  tide  and  the  mud  line, 
they  continue  completely  riddling  the  wood.  In  the  harbor  of 
San  Francisco  they  are  very  destructive,  as  well  as  all  along  the 
coast.  Their  damaging  operations  can  scarcely  be  reckoned, 
but  amounts  to  a  sum  each  year,  if  it  could  be  estimated,  that 
would  be  startling. 

For  any  further  information  required  and  estimates  for 
protecting  piles  and  timber,  address  the  inventor  and  patentee, 

JOHN  P.  CULVEK, 

CIVIL  AND  HYDKAULIC  ENGINEER, 
542  Market  Street, 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

N.  B. — All  persons  using  the  whole  or  any  part  of  my 
combination  without  written  authority  duly  executed  by  me, 
will  be  prosecuted  to  the  full  extent  of  the  law. 

J.  P,  CULVER,  PATENTEE. 


(?NiVi  F  CALIFORNIA 

AT 
LG3ANGEUS 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
date  stanwed  below 


10m-8,'32 


